Portable hair dryers are well known in the prior art. Many such hair dryers are pistol-shaped, comprising a dryer housing containing a blower assembly and having a nozzle at one end, and a handle that extends orthogonally from the underside of the dryer housing. Often, several control switches are mounted on the front face of the handle for controlling blower assembly actuation and the flow rate and the amount of heating applied to the air stream. In use, the user typically grips the handle, actuates and adjusts the blower assembly with the control switches, and scans the nozzle over his or her hair.
Despite the provision of a handle, some users prefer to hold such pistol-shaped dryers by their nozzle during operation. For example, if the user is unable to see the dryer because it is behind their head, or hair is blocking their view, they may be better able to feel where the dryer is pointing when holding the dryer by the nozzle. Also, a person drying someone else's hair, such as a hair stylist, may find a nozzle-holding grip to be more comfortable when standing over a seated person, or when using the dryer for long periods of time. Such a nozzle-holding grip also allows the stylist to achieve a maximum range of dryer movement while maintaining a same standing position relative to the seated person whose hair is being dried.